May 2013

05/28/2013

Two years after the massive Christchurch earthquake
killed 185 people and devastated the city, the major metropolitan hub of the
South Island of New Zealand is steadily rebuilding. As Christchurch re-emerges
from the rubble, an ambitious new project is setting an optimistic tone for the
whole area. And Echelon is playing a role in the revitalization efforts.

Christchurch’s $100 million Avon River precinct is an
anchor project for the central city area, which was one of the hardest hit by
the quake. Work has begun on the first stage of the project, called Watermark, which
will feature boardwalks, more green space, and new places for residents to
live, work, and play.

An energy-efficient Echelon SmartServer-based system,
with Echelon CPD 3000 and Philips Outdoor Lighting Controllers (OLCs), using
reliable power line communications (PLC) technology and management software
from StreetLight.Vision
(SLV), is controlling both pathway LED lamps and new LED-based handrail
lighting along the Watermark project’s public walkways. The lighting will
enhance the appearance of the walkways while making it safer for pedestrians
and cyclists to navigate it at night. In addition, the system will save energy by
dimming lighting during low-traffic times.

Echelon is working with its partner ECOsystems
from Wellington to install the new lighting system.

05/21/2013

The Government of Western Australia’s Public Transport
Authority (PTA) is responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance
of all urban heavy rail, bus, and ferry infrastructure in Perth, Western
Australia. Committed to providing the safest, most efficient, sustainable, and
cost-effective service possible for more than 140 million passengers annually, PTA
has pursued technical innovation to improve lighting management. In an
Australian first, PTA has selected Echelon’s powerline technology to power its network-wide
lighting asset management and control program.

In 2009, PTA began a trial of an Echelon-powered
“Zoneworks” emergency lighting and exit sign monitoring system, manufactured by
Clevertronics, that provides real-time monitoring and automated compliance for
its life-safety lighting. Now this program is being rolled out in throughout
PTA’s region, with several thousand points now under centralized management.

Following the success of the emergency lighting
program, PTA approached LVX Group, an Echelon Solutions Partner and Lighting Engineered
Solutions Company, to develop a similar asset management strategy for its
general lighting. After successful
trials on selected sites, PTA adopted LVX Group’s engineered solution in early
2013. Incorporating Echelon’s CPD3000 Outdoor Lighting Controller (OLC) and
SmartServer 2.0 Controller, the solution was designed, developed, and installed
by LVX Group as a part of its “Fit & Forget” Lighting Asset Management
Program.

The Echelon-powered solution enhances efficiency,
compliance, and costs for both reactive and preventive maintenance as well as
capital projects. Improvements in LED warranty accountability alone are expected
to save millions of dollar per year, because the monitoring system enabled by
the Echelon-powered solution can determine promptly if LED lamps have failed
inside the manufacturer’s warranty period. In addition, luminaires can be
programmed to save energy; parking lot and platform lights can be dimmed at
times when no traffic is expected; and the lighting system alerts maintenance
personnel to the exact locations of failed lamps, saving time and money while
optimizing safety.

The PTA is in the process of implementing Echelon
technology to upgrade its transit platforms, service and stowage yards, tunnels,
and parking lot lights to controllable, monitored LED lighting.

05/15/2013

A smart, multi-level, demand-sensitive
LED street lighting network demonstration using Echelon’s Outdoor Lighting
Controllers (OLCs) and SmartServer helped the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NWSC) to achieve over 75% electrical energy
savings. Echelon worked with researchers
at two universities, Virginia Tech and Old Dominion, to develop
the LED street lighting network for the Maryland-based NSWC.[1] The previous street lighting system used high pressure
sodium (HPS) lamps with no dimming controls, which were monitored for one year
to provide a baseline of electricity consumption to compare with the new
LED-based system with Echelon controllers.

This new network allows NSWC to monitor
and control lighting intensity based on both time and traffic flow. The
network’s building blocks include LED light fixtures, a traffic sensor, and Echelon
streetlight controllers and SmartServer.

In addition to a tremendous reduction
in energy consumption, the NSWC is realizing the added value of significantly better light quality, the
elimination of mercury waste disposal, and the ability to dynamically control dimming
levels with motion sensors.

“We’ve demonstrated at the NSWC that replacing existing HPS-based
street lighting systems with intelligent LED systems controlled by Echelon
technology can significantly reduce electricity consumption,” said Mark Carter,Echelon’s
director of sales. “Similar results are being are being
achieved for varying outdoor lighting projects around the world in municipal,
parking lot, and parking garage lighting applications.”

05/14/2013

Echelon was recently awarded U.S.
Patent number 8,374,104 for its Interoperable
Self-Installation (ISI) protocol, an innovative, simple way to install a group of
devices on a control network. Echelon has implemented the ISI technology in a
number of products, and Echelon customers have already created commercial
products based on the patented technology.

ISI addresses an increasingly important challenge in our lives
today. Everyday devices – ranging from large appliances (refrigerators, ovens,
etc.); HVAC, security, lighting, and irrigation systems; vehicle controls in
trains, automobiles, ships, and planes; to smaller appliances (toasters,
microwaves, etc.) – are being interconnected and need to be controlled. As
these networked device groups become more prevalent, the devices themselves
must be able to join the groups and interact with each other, without requiring
an installation tool, expert knowledge, or a special-purpose local server.

Echelon’s new patent covers a method of installing devices
into groups, or communities of devices, that:

Does not rely on a central server or authority
for acquiring or maintaining addresses of devices

Does not fail when a large number of devices are
turned off

Does not require users to maintain network
resource information

Echelon’s innovation includes standardizing a method by
which devices in a network can allocate their own network resources and
automatically avoid conflicts arising from two devices independently trying to assign
duplicate network resources. The method includes automatic discovery so that
devices can automatically recognize compatible devices as they are added to the
network community and establish communication with each other. Another
innovation is discovery and installation without the need for “active
negotiation,” meaning that it is not necessary for every device to be
knowledgeable about every other device in the community.

Echelon’s patented ISI technology is supported in
three of its tools – the NodeBuilder Development Tool, the ShortStack
Developer’s Kit, and the LonBridge Server – and PL 3170 Smart
Transceiver chip as well as the PL3150, FT5000 and Neuron 5000.

Customers using Echelon’s patented ISI technology include:

CyboSoft and CyboEnergy in the U.S., which implemented a gateway
and the world’s first solar power Mini-Inverter using Echelon PL chips
communicating with ISI technology, with the LonBridge Server running in the
gateway. This enables CyboSoft and CyboEnergy to deliver Mini-Inverters that
can be managed with its home gateway for home installations, but that are also
compatible with the Echelon SmartServer Controller for larger commercial
installations.

e-controls in Spain, which uses Echelon PL chips
communicating with ISI technology in its commercial building and home indoor lighting
control and commercial remote I/O. With the Echelon technology,
e-controls can deliver a system that can be installed without the use of any
additional tools in standalone system, but that can also be easily integrated
into larger building or home control networks that use Echelon’s LNS or OpenLNS
tools.

SLS
Corporation in India, which
uses the LonBridge Server to create its In-Home Controller, and the NodeBuilder
tool and the PL 3170 chip in its lamp and appliance modules. The SLS In-Home
Controller interacts with plug-in modules for dimming lamps and switching
appliances on and off; for monitoring and reporting energy usage of lamps and
appliances; and to enable homeowners to use a mobile phone or local display to
monitor the energy usage of their lighting and key appliances.

Congratulations to Bernd Gauweiler and Rich Blomseth from
Echelon, who are the co-inventors of the ISI technology that has received this patent.

The Echelon China Users Conference wrapped up
its 2013 meeting in Xiamen, China, in April, with more than 70 people from 20 companies
attending the two-day conference. The
Users Group, which gives vendors the opportunity to meet and discuss their solutions
based on LonWorks technology, expanded its focus this year to also include Echelon’s
strategy and plans for the Internet of Things marketplace.

Anders
Axelsson, Echelon’s senior vice president of
Internet of Things Global Sales and Marketing, said: “The China Users Conference is a
great example of the LonWorks community coming together to share experiences.
We had people talking about their successes in various vertical markets, as
well as how to use LonWorks to generate new business and growth and expand to
emerging verticals. This conference is an important vehicle for Echelon to get
first-hand feedback from our users and to let our community hear the latest
updates and plans from Echelon.”

Phoenix
Zheng, Echelon’s country manager of China added: “Echelon’s commitment to the
Chinese market is very important and every year we are seeing more excitement
about Echelon and the LonWorks technology.
The Internet of Things strategy added even more interest this year and I
expect next year will be an even greater event.”

The Users Conference showcased the successful implementations of street lighting, green
building, and home automation efforts together with new opportunities in solar,
indoor lighting, transportation, industrial, and other vertical markets.

Presentation
highlights included:

Rongwen showcased its work in street lighting energy
management

Tomwell
discussed its Echelon power line communications-based advanced LED drivers

05/13/2013

The annual “Bring Your Kids to Work” day was
Thursday, April 25, and many children joined their parents at Echelon’s
headquarters office in San Jose, California.

The new “Echelon employees” started their day with a welcome and
introduction by Varun Nagaraj and Russ Harris, members of Echelon’s executive team.

Then, Tom Jones and Carlos Cuturrufo from Engineering gave the
children a tour of the labs. Steve
McKinney from IT gave a tour of the server room and Rob Guzikowski, a product expert, showed the children
Echelon’s Demo room. Wayne Wiebe from Facilities took them around the office building,
including the roof, which turned out to be the highlight of the tour and
enjoyed most by all the children.

The children also
went on a “scavenger hunt” to get them talking and asking questions of the
employees. Jason Chien and Melinda Sanders from Customer Support helped with the scavenger
hunt and employee questions.

The questions included: “Find someone who works in
finance;”“Locate an employee who has worked here longer than 10 years;” and
“Find someone who makes big decisions.” All the children received an Echelon
backpack “goodie bag” with a T-shirt, pen, and notepad inside. They also made
picture frames and ended their day with a pizza lunch.

This was the 21st anniversary of
the U.S. national program and, according to Forbes,
more than 37 million employees at more than 3.5
million U.S. workplaces participated in the event. The day was developed
by Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation for Women in
1993 and originally intended only for daughters. Ten years later, it was
expanded to include sons.

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